


Home

by AHeartForStories



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Adoption, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Battle Scenes, Child Abandonment, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Headcanon, Hurt Link, Hurt Link (Legend of Zelda), Hurt/Comfort, Lizalfos - Freeform, Ordon Village, Prequel, Psychological Trauma, Trauma, Whump, set before twilight princess, trying out an idea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:50:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24495241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHeartForStories/pseuds/AHeartForStories
Summary: As Winter comes to an end and Spring begins, Rusl of Ordon is on a hunt to find a meal for his village. On his hunt, he encounters a Hylian man, his son, and the family horse.
Relationships: Colin & Link (Legend of Zelda), Colin & Rusl (Legend Of Zelda), Colin & Uli (Legend of Zelda), Epona & Link (Legend of Zelda), Link & Rusl (Legend of Zelda), Link & Uli (Legend of Zelda), Rusl/Uli
Comments: 10
Kudos: 49





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**Author's Note:**

> Like the tag says, trying out an idea that I cannot, for the life of me, get out of my mind. A.... headcanon... if you will.  
> Constructive criticism is appreciated.  
> Enjoy!

The early days of Spring are approaching. The presence of the sun's light lengthened and its warmth thawed the remaining snow still carpeting the forest floor. Life, while it had never fully left, is beginning to flourish once again.

As the cold Winter is announcing its end with the steady increase in birds chirping their song, there is a single soul out in the woods that morning.

It was a man, a human with round ears unlike the long-eared Hylians living in Hyrule's capital up North. He was Rusl, a swordsman, his village's blacksmith, and their hunter for wild game should they ever need it.

Dressed warmly in a thick cloak made with goat hair, hunting is what he is out doing now. If he could find a big buck, or maybe even an Ordonian boar, he knew he would be making a lot of people he cared for happy.

It is cold and lonely that morning. He can see each white breath he puffs out. Walking through the snow with thick boots on his feet, it crunching audibly beneath his feet, he searches for any tracks he may follow. Fresh footprints, droppings, fur, anything that can tell him something is possibly wandering closeby in Faron Woods.

The tips of his nose and ears are red and he can hardly feel his face, but he isn't quite ready to give up yet. Imagining the sight of smiling faces as he brings home a true price that will keep their stomachs full for at least a week keeps him going.

His village of Ordon has gone through terrible hardships as of late, he wishes to lift their spirits this Spring.

Alas, it is not a deer he will be bringing home that day, not even a single rabbit.

That morning, Rusl finds something completely different, something never would've expected to find, someone immeasurably more precious than any wild game.

After walking nearly all morning and finding nary a hair nor a footprint, Rusl hears a voice. Whoever it belongs to, they are speaking softly. Talking in whispers as if they don't want to be heard. So the fact that Rusl can hear them at all can only mean this person is closeby. He lets curiosity take him to the source of the voice.

Visitors aren't entirely uncommon. Sometimes people with tradeable goods will pass through these woods on their way further down South. Or up North to Hyrule, where there is a castle town perfect to sell your wares. But on the other hand, it is still cold out.

A true weathered merchant will not let something as a chilly climate stop them, but that doesn't mean they aren't particularly rare during Winter and early Spring.

Rusl feels like he needs to greet this person, whoever they were.

It takes barely a couple of seconds to find them on the road near Faron's Spring, a spring that does not freeze even during the coldest of times. The person talking is dressed in a dark cloak. The hood is down, allowing Rusl to see to the back of their blond head of hair.

They are facing away from him and freeze the second Rusl appears from the bushes, though the Ordonian has yet to say a word. His footsteps crunching the snow beneath his weight have alerted the visitor. They possess a keen pair of ears and Rusl isn't entirely convinced it is just because they are Hylian, judging by the slender length and the pointed end.

He, Rusl assumes they are a he, isn't alone either. The Hylian is facing a horse who's saddle he is holding onto. It is a mare with beautiful flaxen chestnut color. She neighs intelligently at the new face and proceeds to pull on the man's cloak with her teeth as if to tell him. The Hylian speaks underneath his breath, nothing Rusl can hear, and places a fingerless gloved hand on the mare's snout to calm her. They are red from the cold and probably feel as numb as the other man's fingers do.

And lastly, Rusl's attention brings him to a young boy sitting in the saddle of the large mare's back. A Hylian as well, he can only be four or five years of age. His hair is blond, like the man's, but a darker shade, and that, along with the ears, tells Rusl this could very well be a father and his son. The boy's eyes are a deep blue and they stare curiously at Rusl.

The man doesn't speak, despite knowing that someone is standing right there, so Rusl decided to take initiative.

"Um... Good day, gentlemen." He speaks, hoping he sounds and looks friendly enough as he approaches. He doesn't dare come too close, however, on account of the sword strapped to the cloaked figure's back. That and the fact that his father taught him better than to assume any stranger can be approached. Ordonians are welcoming people, but Rusl knows to be cautious.

There is a shield as well, strapped to the horse's saddle. It is a beautifully decorated one. Completely made out of what Rusl assumes is a strong metal, the most prominent color was blue with the symbol of Hyrule's royal red bird in the middle and the golden Triforce on top. It is a heavy shield, very difficult to use, unlike regular wooden shields.

This causes Rusl to lift an eyebrow as there aren't many of this kind of shield that exists.

Is this man a knight of Hyrule, perhaps? He believes not just anybody can afford a shield like that.

"Are you lost? People usually don't travel this way this time of the year." Rusl keeps his distance as he asks. It is odd that the man refuses to face him and refuses to say a word. The boy, meanwhile gazes down at his father, to the stranger asking a simple question, and then back again.

"Dad?" The boy asks, clearly confused as well, and pulls on the man's cloak to draw his gaze. He quiets him by holding his index finger in front of his lips and his son stops talking, albeit with a pout.

Finally turning, Rusl is met with a face younger than he expected. He is well in his twenties, mid-twenties at the very least. Older than Rusl, really. Though his eyes, just as blue as the child's, tell a different story. Like he has lived through more than one lifetime and feels the weight of it, too.

In spite of that, there is a sharpness to them, a silent warning that nearly catches him off guard.

The Hylian doesn't reply to Rusl's question even now, doesn't offer a greeting of his own. He simply stares instead and with a surprisingly hard gaze, too.

Rusl feels judged, as if he's intruding in the very forest he has been calling home since birth.

"My name is Rusl, I know these woods well." Nevertheless, he decides to introduce himself. This person is clearly on his guard and Rusl hopes to help him relax a little.

The stranger eyes him thoroughly, scanning him from his head to his toes and back again. Rusl himself keeps an eye trained on him, feeling slightly perturbed by his behavior.

Not that he can entirely blame him, he has a small child to look after. If Rusl is to ever find himself in that swordsman's position, he might be a little cautious, too.

The Hylian's gaze finally moves to look out into the woods, scanning their surroundings. It is as if he needs to make sure it really is just this one young woodsman that's here and no one else.

Rusl follows his gaze briefly before breaking the cold silence once again.

"I assure you, I am alone. This is Faron Woods. My village, Ordon, is a couple of miles south of here, I am merely here on a hunt." He speaks, revealing that he is native to this place, that it is no coincidence they come across one another in a place as isolated as this.

He doesn't tell this for no reason. Usually, Rusl can respect a person's need for secrecy, but with the odd vibes this one is giving him and a child being involved, Rusl can appreciate some answers. Maybe this will urge the Hylian to give him some.

After some contemplative silence, Rusl does finally receive one.

"Link." Rusl gives him a look upon hearing a name as unusual as that. Not many people walk around with that name.

"The boy's name is Link." The stranger clarifies and he nods to show he heard him. The child seems harmless enough. Upon being introduced, he even waves Rusl's way with a grin and the Ordonian returns it with a smile just as friendly.

"Is this village of yours the only settlement here, Rusl of Ordon?" The Hylian asks, the look in his eyes still just as hard.

"Yes, it is. If it is a place to rest up that you seek, my people are warm and welcoming. Food isn't as plentiful as it was at the beginning of Winter, but we can share. The next village is days away." Rusl kindly offers. In spite of his reservations, it is in his nature to do so. In Ordon, you are simply raised that way.

The Hylian turns away again and grabs hold of the saddle. Was it wrong of Rusl to offer up help? He glances at his boy.

"I am in search of something, but it is not a place to rest up. Besides, my presence may cause some trouble."

"Just some?" Rusl's playful answer got the Hylian to look back at him again. It wasn't just a tease, he simply wished to draw more answers out of the other.

As if the Hylian's statement is a cue, three of them react to a sound coming from the brush. The horse grows restless.

"Shhh, it's okay, girl." The Hylian speaks, quickly grasping the horse's reigns and stroking her head so she won't accidentally buck Link off her back. As he calms his mount, his gaze doesn't leave the spot they all hear those sounds coming from. Rusl stares at it too, laying a hand on the hilt of his sword just in case.

Despite Fall and Winter costing most of the plantlife its greenery, the brush is still too thick to see much through it. This is a pristine forest, once known to be so thick you would lose your way almost immediately.

"Dad?" A hand settles on the boy's for reassurance.

The rustling is loud and wild. Almost too loud. It's as if something is doing it on purpose.

To draw attention? But for what?

Drawing his sword and leave the boy's side, the Hylian approaches.

"You've put up enough of a show! Make yourself known!" He shouts and the noises abruptly stop. Silence returns. But as he stays wary, Rusl thinks it a good idea to remain on his guard himself.

Out of the brush, two bright green large bipedal lizards, armed and armored, jump into view. They are unlike anything Rusl has ever seen and he barely has the time to react. They hiss at the humans before them and he draws his sword, they attack.

They both come at the Hylian swordsman in a combined strike and with one parry does he throw them off.

"Lizalfos!" He shouts at Rusl, his eyes trained on the foes before him.

"I'll deal with these two, but there's a chance that there's more of them! Keep your eyes peeled!" He continues before engaging in combat with the strange creatures without hesitation. He is clearly very familiar with them.

As metal meets metal, the mare panics with the ongoing ambush. Listening to the Hylian's advice, Rusl grabs her reigns and keeps watch on his surroundings.

"Ho! Ho!" He attempts to calm her, but she isn't as willing to relax for him as she does for her rider.

"Dad!" The son yells, just shy of climbing out of the saddle.

"Don't worry, son. I'm sure you're old man can handle them." Rusl reassures him and meets Link's gaze.

"But..." He starts, but never finishes, instead watching the battle with a fearful expression. His tiny fists clutch the saddle horn with a death grip as he trembles, but not from the cold. Remembering what the Hylian did only moments ago to calm his child, Rusl attempts to do the same and grabs hold of his hands still squeezing the saddle. Link looks at him quietly, but doesn't pull away.

Looking back at the fight himself, Rusl finds he is blown away by the Hylian's skill with his sword.

The way he moves, parries, blocks as the Lizalfo attempt to get but a single hit in is almost like seeing a wonder. Each strike is done with such precision, each cut is clean and he fells those two within seconds. They never even stood a chance and the Hylian did not break a sweat.

But as those two fall, three more take their place, dropping from the very treetops above them in an effort to catch them off guard. Where they are all coming from, Rusl doesn't have a clue, but the Hylian barely flinches and takes them on as well.

The woods were usually as safe as large, dense woods could be. There aren't supposed to be creatures such as this, not out here. The swordsman wasn't kidding when he told the Ordonian that he brought trouble with him.

One Lizalfos comes up to strike him from behind, but with on fluid motion does he shed his cloak and temporarily blinds the two in front of him before lashing out with a wide swing of his sword, cleaving the reptile's bare flesh underneath its armor, spilling its disturbingly discolored blood.

What kind of creature does not have red blood?

He turns again just as swiftly and strikes down one through the cloak. It falls limp and colors the snow a sickly kind of purple. Without giving him a break, four more join the fight while the third one is still alive, though not for a second longer.

As the Hylian is kept busy, another couple jump down from a rock wall behind Rusl and the flaxen mare, who startles and promptly takes one of those Lizalfo out with her two hind legs. The force behind her kick breaks their sternum and they bleed out from the inside.

Her bucking causes Link to tumble out of the saddle and the boy lands with a pained yelp, that height wasn't exactly short for a kid his age. Letting go of the reigns, Rusl acts quickly and pulls him out of the harm's way as she is too spooked to see where her hooves are landing.

"Stay with me," Rusl tells him and Link holds onto him, hugging his leg and hiding his face in the man's trousers. It takes away from his mobility, but Rusl decides he doesn't mind. He places a hand on his head to tell him that this is okay. The boy is scared and if he needs to cling to someone to deal with this than he can.

"Link!" The Hylian cries out as the second group of Lizalfos attacks and he can't be there to help, having his own bunch to deal with, winning a test of endurance when a lizard's sword attempts to make him yield. Fortunately, Rusl is there to fight them off, letting out a cry with the first strike.

A Lizalfos blocks it, but he manages to dodge out of the way of the swing of another.

He may not be as skilled as this clearly more than excellent swordsman and he may not be familiar with these armored creatures, but he knows the ways of the sword and fights with every ounce of strength that he can muster. He will not let their snarls and their foreign blades get to him. At the same time, he keeps the boy clinging to his leg safe.

The flaxen-chestnut mare stays closeby. Even though every instinct of hers must be screaming to get out of dodge. When a Lizalfos tried to target her, the Ordonian swordsman makes sure to cut it down.

It is a battle that takes minutes, but the two of them, they manage to slay them all. Strangely enough, they left no bodies behind. They simply disappeared.

The men stand there and pant, still tense and expecting another fight.

When no more enemies come, they allow themselves to relax, clean, and sheath their blades. Rusl touches Link's back, causing him to look up.

"We're safe now." He tells him, smiling down at him. Link looks at where the scary lizardmen attacked them from with an uncertain gaze.

"You know, you were really brave. You made the right decision to stick so close to me." Even if it did greatly inhibited him, but Rusl leaves that part out. How can anyone expect a five-year-old to know what to do in a situation such as this? He is relieved he didn't try to run or somehow got in the way of a blade in search of safety.

Link looks up to him, sniffing as his eyes are watery and his lip is trembling, but says nothing.

The Hylian watches them from the corners of his eyes, through his long, blond bangs. It is as if he is trying to appear like he hadn't just seen that moment and he comes over. Link let go of Rusl's leg to run to his father's side and grab his hand.

"You protected the boy and the horse. You risked your life for them." The older of the two notes, speaking in a considerably lighter tone this time. Rusl looks at him as if he's just grown a second head, surprised at his surprise.

"If I have a child of my own someday and I can't be there to protect them, even I am right there, I would want someone to be there to do it for me. It seems only natural to me." He explains himself. Defend the defenseless, that is why he learned the art of the sword.

At this reply, the Hylian lets a half-hearted smile appear on his face reddened by the chill.

"I come to these woods in search of something important and the first man I run into is an honorable one. It must be fate." He speaks, eyes briefly closed. His expressions change for a moment, his features briefly twisting into one that threatens sadness before it is pushed away.

"You are surprised?" Shrugging this away, Rusl asks, though more so to urge the Hylian to keep talking.

"With that sword on your back, I didn't expect you to be a coward. But taking the responsibility to protect another and live? That takes both honor and skill." There is a great sense of respect in his tone of voice.

"You're impressed," Rusl stated with a smirk. Odd beginnings aside, he was starting to like this man.

"One of those Lizalfo alone is hard to beat. Let alone three or more." The Hylian replies shortly.

"Oh! There were so many! Even Epona was scared!" The boy shouts, clearly growing out of his shyness after an experience such as this. Having clung to Rusl's leg as the man protected him certainly helped him warm up to the Ordonian.

A fond smile appears on his father's face and his hand lands on the child's head, briefly ruffling his hair.

Silence falls over the group.

"I worry about my village." Rusl shares his concerns, worrying over having such creatures as those things come so close to his home.

"Don't. They were here for me. Once I'm gone, they will leave this forest alone." His new acquaintance reassures him, though Rusl can only wonder how he can know for sure.

"How are you so familiar with those creatures?"

"I've had an... eventful life." Was the answer Rusl receives, saying everything and yet disclosing nothing. He doesn't inquire him to elaborate, feeling like it isn't his place to ask.

"You mentioned you were searching for something." So goes for this question instead.

It is silent for a little while before the Hylian responds. His sight moves from the boy to the young man in front of him.

"A home. I'm searching for a home for this boy." He raises Link's hand as he holds it, the boy glances up at him. The attack from minutes ago seems to have not affected him too greatly, thankfully.

"For him only?" Rusl expects an answer befitting what must surely be a jest and nothing more.

"Yes." But when that is the response he is given, Rusl is once again unsure of what to think of this stranger.

Come to think of it, he has given the child's name, but not his own. Link is still looking up to the man, the weight of his elder's words not quite sinking in.

"What is your relationship with this child?" Rusl can't help but ask, confusing rattling him inside.

"He's my d-"

"None. I have no relation with this child. I simply found him and now I am searching for a suitable home for him." In spite of the boy happily calling this man his father, the Hylian immediately rebuffs the claim. It is out of nowhere, he hadn't done that the previous times he was called "dad".

Upon hearing such a contradictory statement, the face Link makes is one of bewilderment. Is he mistaken or did his father really just tell this man that they weren't family?

"What's that mean?" He asks, pulling on the elder's hand for attention.

The Hylian doesn't face him, outright chooses not to look at him. His eyes remain hard.

"And you're thinking of leaving him here?" It seems like the answer to this one must be obvious, but still Rusl has to ask to be sure.

"Yes." It is replied surprisingly short and quick. There is no hesitation.

"You say your village is warm and welcoming, that you are willing to share food even with a complete stranger when you have little. On top of that, you are a skilled swordsman who protects the defenseless. A suitable place for a five-year-old to grow up in." So Link is five, exactly as Rusl already suspects. He is but a year older than the daughter of Ordon's mayor.

As if this entire exchange isn't already unexpected enough, the Hylian moves forward, almost shy of dragging his son to push his hand into Rusl's.

"Wh-Hey!" Link protests, but he doesn't remove his hand, not upon seeing the stern look he is given.

His gaze hardens further as he glares at the younger one, as if challenging him to disagree.

Rusl doesn't argue, in spite of the boy's heart being ripped to shreds right in front of him. It is difficult, but a man so insistent on distancing himself from his five-year-old child is, perhaps, not suited to be their parent.

The pure heartbreak on that boy's face as he looks up to his father in turmoil is enough to tear Rusl's beating heart right out of his chest.

"What you doing?!" Perhaps feeling like he might owe Link an explanation, his father kneels before him.

"When we first came to these woods, what did I tell you?" He recounts a conversation Rusl wasn't there for, maybe the one they were discussing when he stumbled upon them.

"That-that we can't go home. And that-that you'd found a new one." Link replies, speaking quite well for someone his age.

"And?"

The Hylian urges him to continue, his voice soft, but insistent. Link looks away, his bottom lip trembles. He doesn't want to say it.

"And that you needed to be brave from now on because I might not come back. I... am not coming back." In his last sentence, he speaks with a sigh, as if it requires force to leave his lips.

"But why?! You always leave and you never tell why!" Link bursts out, his breaths hitching as he is close to crying.

Huffing, his father shakes his head.

"I wish I could tell you." He replies in an almost light tone, an odd answer from an odd man.

Standing up again, the boy practically clinging him, he faces Rusl, who is nearly speechless from what appeared to be turning into a case of child abandonment.

"Why trust me? I am an utter stranger to both you and this boy." While the Hylian remains surprisingly levelheaded, the young man's mind is racing.

"You're a good man, Rusl. If there was any malevolence in your heart, I would've known." He doesn't know what that is supposed to mean. How can the Hylian possibly know from just this one interaction? But he picks Link up and catches him in a tight embrace. Link responds, wrapping his short arms around his dad's neck and his legs around his middle as tight as he can.

Closing his eyes, the Hylian seems to be savoring the feeling of holding him in his arms for what appears to be the final time.

"That's an awfully long time to hug for someone who cares so little for this child that he would willingly give him away." Rusl notes. Nothing of this makes sense to him.

The man draws away form the embrace, eyeing the Ordonian momentarily before he puts Link back down. He has to remove his tiny fists from his tunic as they are reluctant to let go. Link possesses quite a grip for someone so small.

He puts Link's fist back in Rusl's hand, who grasps it, knowing there is little else for him to do. If Link wriggles his hand free, Rusl will probably let him, but he doesn't. He stares at the man he used to call his father, the morning light in his eyes. He is but a silhouette to him. A shadow.

"Be good." He tells the boy and then turns to leave. His brown boots crunch the snow as he walks away.

"Dad!" Link shouts and there is a sniff, a promise of more to come. As a response, Rusl feels like doing something.

"If you're in trouble, maybe I can-"

"This is a kind of trouble you can't solve. I don't think even I can solve it this time." Rusl's gives him his offer for help, those lizardmen from before obviously being the reason why the Hylian was doing this, but he is cut off.

When he glances back at them, at the son he is moments away from abandoning to a virtual stranger, who's eyes are brimming with tears, he tries to keep his gaze just as hard as it has been this entire time, but there is a crack in his façade. His own eyes glisten in the light.

"Care for him and teach him the ways of the sword. You're capable." The Hylian quickly faces away from them after he speaks and walks off.

Link was left to stand there, hand in hand with the stranger his father expects to care for him.

The mare neighs, her head bobbing up and down, and a hoof digging in the thawing ground beneath her. She draws Rusl's attention, the Ordonian only just realizing that she is still here.

"Your horse." Rusl wants to tell the leaving Hylian that he is leaving his horse, too, but he is already gone, completely out of sight. Like he'd vanished into thin air.

"... Daddy?"

Rusl eyes the child he holds the hand of and sees the tears running down his flushed face. His expression is one of shock and he feels numb. Like what just happened to him hadn't been real.

Rusl supposed there was now a sudden child he would have to look after. He can't bear the thought to simply leave the boy here. There was also the distinct feeling his fellows in the village would agree.

Link, too shocked to even sob, gapes at his new caretaker.

"He's coming back." He sniffs.

"Link, I don't think-"

"He's coming back!" Rusl doesn't argue. He knows better, but it is clear that Link thinks otherwise. Ripping his hand free, he chooses a spot under a tree and sits down with his knees pulled to his chest. Rusl simply gawks, knowing the boy isn't going to accept any authority from him. At least, not in this state.

The horse seems to follow him, stepping over to where he is seated. Without the need to hold her reigns, she stays put near him. She nibbles on his hair and Link swats at her snout, not appreciating it.

"Not now, Epona!" He yelps, a crack in his voice. He is angry and upset. Sniffling and wiping at his running nose, he wraps his arms around his knees.

Rusl is genuinely at a loss.

Though there is someone in the village who he fancies, and the feelings are mutual, he isn't married yet and he has no children. Both of them are still a little too young. Rusl isn't sure what to do in this situation. He doubts others more experienced with the tiniest of humans would even know.

So he simply decides to wait with him, though he knows Link's father won't be coming back for him. He sits down on a nearby fallen tree, wiping some leftover snow off its surface.

Just sit there and wait. There was little else he could do.

As the minutes passed and the sun rose higher in the sky, a little bit of warmth is brought to this dreary day. The lack of even a single breeze helps, but Link shivers. He is dressed in a good pair of boots, leggings and a tunic that is appropriate for a warm mid-spring day, but not one for a chilly day such as this.

It makes Rusl wonder as they are good clothes, but not suitable for cold weather. It is as if Link and his father hadn't been prepared for late-Winter, early-Spring.

It also makes this sudden adoption even stranger. It is clear now to Rusl that danger is what drove the Hylian to give this boy up. The presence of these Lizalfos creatures and the man's words are the only clues that he needs to know this as truth. If Link was truly an unwanted child, then he wouldn't have been given up with good clothing, a horse, and left with someone the Hylian deems "good of heart".

But how to explain this to a five-year-old? Link won't understand, maybe not even when he is older. Rusl isn't even sure if he can make the village understand, which will probably take to the young Hylian almost immediately.

These are concerns for later, however.

"Aren't you cold?" Rusl asks as he wants to offer up his warm cloak, seeing how much Link trembles, but he stubbornly shakes his head. Already, the Ordonian wonders if this is a sign of the boy's stubborn personality or if this is simply because of now.

"You'll be a lot warmer while you wait." Rusl tries again, taking off his warm coat to give it, but still Link shakes his head, refusing to face the other.

Letting out a sorrowful sigh, Rusl draws his offer back and wraps it around himself again. What is he to do with this boy?

"Does the horse... Epona you said her name was? Does she have a blanket you want?" It takes a little while, but Link finally nods when Rusl asks him this. Standing up, he fetches the boy the blanket he needs.

Epona dutifully turns to let Rusl in the saddlebags hanging from her sides. It is quite a clever thing for a horse to do, as if she understands what her previous master's son needs.

While pulling a warm blanket from one of her bags, Rusl wonders if the horse is to come under Link's ownership now. It seems cruel, to take away the boy's family horse on top of being randomly abandoned.

Although it isn't quite so random, the woodsman supposes. If Link's last conversation with his father was anything to go on, they came here having already discussed the father's intent.

Both of the saddlebags were packed full, too. Besides a red woolen blanket Rusl now holds, there are also clothes, a couple of toys, a play wooden sword, a few worn books, and a musical instrument. Rusl holds it and eyes it curiously. It looked like a-

"Put it back! That's dad's and he really loves that." Link mutters in a surprisingly disapproving voice and Rusl smiles.

"Ah, my apologies, I'll put it back." He does as he promises and places it back before closing the bag. Link's pout remains, but he appears a little less upset.

Rusl wraps the blanket around Link, who reacts very little. But after a while, he stops shivering and pulls it tighter around himself.

The hours pass and the sun rises higher in the sky. Before long, midday arrives.

"Do you want to keep waiting?" Rusl inquires and the child stubbornly nods, still sniffing.

Even though it has been some hours already, Link is adamant in believing that his parent will be returning to him. Deciding against arguing with him, they wait some more.

More time passes and midday slowly turns into evening. Though the days are growing longer, they are still a little short. It becomes darker.

In the passing hours, Link grows weary of waiting. Tired from this upsetting day, he is close to falling asleep.

As the sun sets and the moon becomes clearer in the sky, Rusl figures it is time to leave. Gathering Link up in his arms and making sure he was properly wrapped in both the blanket and his cloak, he makes the long trek home. Giving in to exhaustion, Link holds onto him and sleeps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to a Zelda wiki, Rusl's age was given to be 20s-30s in the main game. And since I am on the "Rusl and Uli raised Link hill", I'm gonna have him in his very early twenties when he finds Link, who is already five-years-old at this point.  
> On another note, battles are not my strong suit. Hopefully I didn't make this one too awkward.


End file.
